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Amends 5 U.S.C. 901: in subsection (a) replaces occurrences of the term 'agencies' with 'executive departments', inserts new paragraphs (7)–(9) adding purposes (to reduce number of federal employees; to amend rules/regulations to decrease cost and difficulty of compliance and eliminate unnecessary/burdensome requirements; to eliminate government operations that do not serve the public interest); and in subsection (d) replaces 'agencies' with 'executive departments'.
Replaces paragraph (1) of section 902 with a new definition of 'executive department' that (A) means any executive department, agency, or independent establishment of the United States or any corporation wholly owned by the United States, and an office or officer of the executive branch; and (B) expressly excludes the Government Accountability Office and the Comptroller General of the United States.
In subsection (a) of section 903, replaces 'agencies' with 'executive departments' in the introductory matter; replaces occurrences of 'agency' with 'executive department' throughout the subsection; and strikes a punctuation mark in paragraph (2) as specified.
Strikes each occurrence of the term (unspecified) and inserts 'executive department' in section 904 wherever the term appears.
Multiple amendments to section 905: in subsection (a) deletes former paragraph (1); redesignates paragraphs (2)–(7) as paragraphs (1)–(6); in the redesignated paragraphs (1)–(3) replaces occurrences of the term with 'executive department'; in redesignated paragraph (4) replaces 'new agency' with 'new executive department'; removes a punctuation mark in redesignated paragraph (5); changes punctuation in redesignated paragraph (6); and adds a new paragraph (7) prohibiting creating a net increase in the number of federal workers or a net increase in expenditures. In subsection (b) replaces the date 'December 31, 1984' with 'December 31, 2026'.
Strikes each occurrence of the term (unspecified) in section 907 and inserts 'executive department' wherever the term appears.
Replaces the date 'December 31, 1984' with 'December 31, 2026' in section 908.
In section 909, replaces the text '19 .' with '20 .'.
Amends the executive-reorganization rules in Chapter 9 of Title 5 U.S.C. by changing many statutory references from “agencies” to “executive department(s),” updating definitions and paragraph numbering, adding new stated purposes for reorganizations (including reducing the federal workforce and cutting burdensome rules), and extending or updating certain statutory dates to December 31, 2026. The change is technical and administrative but could shift how reorganizations are framed, which entities they cover, and the legal rationale used to justify them, with downstream effects on department leadership, career staff, and rulemaking processes.
Amend Chapter 9 of Title 5, U.S. Code (Executive reorganization amendments).
In section 901(a), insert new paragraph (7) stating a purpose: “to reduce the number of federal employees.”
In section 901(a), insert new paragraph (8) stating a purpose: “to amend rules, regulations, and other requirements for the purpose of decreasing the cost and difficulty of compliance thereof, and to eliminate unnecessary and burdensome rules, regulations, and other requirements.”
In section 901(a), insert new paragraph (9) stating a purpose: “to eliminate government operations that do not serve the public interest.”
In section 901(a)(3), insert text before the semicolon (the amendment text indicates an insertion point in paragraph (3)).
Who is affected and how:
Department leaders and the Executive Office of the President: They must apply the revised definitions and stated purposes when drafting, approving, and submitting reorganization plans. The change from “agencies” to “executive department(s)” may alter which units are treated under the chapter and how plans are justified.
Federal agencies and program offices: Offices that previously relied on the older statutory language will need to review internal procedures, reporting forms, and legal analyses to ensure compliance with updated cross-references and definitions. Office planning teams (HR, counsel, program managers) will face administrative effort to update documentation.
Federal employees and career staff: Because the statute explicitly includes workforce‑reduction and deregulatory aims among reorganization purposes, staff may face reorganizations that are more closely tied to headcount reductions or rule-cutting objectives. That can affect morale, staffing plans, bargaining/consultation with unions, and internal workforce transition programs.
Agency rulemaking and regulatory attorneys: The added emphasis on cutting “burdensome rules” could shift the rationale and priority for dismantling or consolidating regulatory units. Legal teams will likely see more deregulatory justification materials to review and defend.
Oversight actors (Congress, courts, stakeholders): Changes in statutory language may prompt new oversight questions, reinterpretations of statutory authority, or litigation over scope and intent; Congressional committees and plaintiffs can challenge reorganizations that rely on the amended language.
Net effect and uncertainty:
Expand sections to see detailed analysis
Referred to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, and in addition to the Committee on Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
Introduced February 13, 2025 by James Comer · Last progress February 13, 2025
Placed on the Union Calendar, Calendar No. 397.
Committee on Rules discharged.
Reported (Amended) by the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. H. Rept. 119-464, Part I.
Ordered to be Reported (Amended) by the Yeas and Nays: 23 - 20.
